charlie is so cool like - Charlie McDonnell

I can't exactly remember when I first heard about Charlie McDonnell,  or even how,  but it sure was a while ago now,  back then Charlie was a young fresh faced lad that was making a few YouTube vids that were sort of going a little bit viral, as they say, which I've never liked,  no,  not Charlies videos,  I like those, but I mean the word viral, when it's applied to the popularity of things on the net.  I guess I'm old fashioned and the word vial to me still sounds like something bad  and well  sick really, a bit like genital herpes.   Anyway,  Charlie got famous,  mainstream media were picking up on the fact this little sweet faced teenager was getting a number of hits,  or viewers to his videos and was rather popular.  Since then he's gone on to make some music get in the charts, do a TV show and make loads more videos.  

Charlie is a real internet star, now  I know that phrase is often banded about,  but in this case it really is true,  the sweet voiced twenty year old has been viewed around 135,215,478 times,  which really do make him a bit of an internet phenomena.  But, I'll shut up and let this lil cherub faced lad tell you more. 

So you wanna know even more about this little smiley internet celeb?


Charlie, tell us a little bit about your background and childhood.

I have a fairly mundane origin story really, the first born child to a not-very-well-off family living on the outskirts of Bath in Somerset, England. I was always a very shy kid, which my Mum noticed and tried to help me out of by sending me to weekly speech and drama classes when I was about seven. Little did she know that this wouldn’t exactly help me out of my shyness, but rather give me a passion for performing. I stayed an introvert all throughout secondary [high] school, but my interest in acting kept on growing. The school I went to didn’t teach drama, so instead I went to a bunch of workshops outside of school, learning both how to act for television and for theatre. Once YouTube hit me I decided to step back from those classes, although I still enjoy doing a bit of acting from time to time, regardless of the fact that I was never very good at it!

How did you feel about YouTube before you started video blogging? In what way has that opinion changed?

It’s become a horrible cliché to say this now, but before I started vlogging, I thought YouTube was just a website where you went to watch clips of TV shows and videos of dogs riding on skateboards. Like most people, I had absolutely no idea that there was anything resembling a community on YouTube, but after discovering vlogging and giving it a go, members of the community slowly started to appear, and I started to realise how much more there was to the website. Video-Blogging still is just one small part of the mass of content you can find on YouTube though, nowadays I usually describe YouTube as having “any kind of content you can imagine for any kind of audience you can imagine” … except porn, of course.

How did you get started posting on YouTube?

The first community based video that I ever watched was back in April 2007, which was called ‘The Liker Chain Resurrected’ – a video which went through a list of video-bloggers who were making good and notable content on YouTube at the time. I picked out a couple of names from the list that I thought sounded interesting, started watching them, and must have thought “hey, I can probably do that.” My dad had just bought me a laptop of my own, my brother had just relinquished ownership of his webcam knowing that he was never going to use it, and I had just discovered Windows Movie Maker. Plus, I was really, really bored. I was in the middle of exam revision at the time and needed a form of procrastination to get me through it, and so, enter YouTube.

How has being on the internet changed your life?

Being the shy kid that I was, I never found it very easy to make new friends, or know how to conduct myself around new groups of people. If was only after YouTube came into my life, and people starting watching my videos and giving me praise for them, that my confidence started to build. Also, it was a lot easier to make friends on YouTube because everybody had this common ground, and we tended to bond very quickly. It hasn’t just given me confidence though, before I joined YouTube I was on the path to a deadbeat job, and it was only with the internet that I was given the opportunity to take a hobby and turn it into my career. I’m still so incredibly grateful that I get to do what I love and get paid for it, and I try not to take that privilege for granted.

What has been your best encounter with a fan?

When people used to ask me if I got recognised in the street, I’d say that it happened every now and again, but not really that often. That was until I realised that it was happening pretty much every time that I left the house to pop into central London, so nowadays, it happens quite a bit. Which means, of course, that it’s very hard for me to pick a favourite! Though there was one time when I was out with my fellow YouTuber and now flatmate Alex when someone recognised the both of us, and literally screamed “OH MY GOD!” which made us all laugh hysterically. Nowadays, whenever I meet someone in person, I give them a little “I Found Charlie” pin-badge, though I’d be surprised if anyone actually wore them in public. Really, being recognised from time to time has just made the whole world a bit of a friendlier place, which is fine by me.

How do you feel knowing that the videos you post are watched by over half a million people?

I can’t really fathom it, honestly. I try and imagine myself standing on a stage in front of half a million people telling them about my day, drinking ketchup or painting myself purple, and it just doesn’t make any sense … but that idea really isn’t all that different to how it actually is. I tend not to think too much about a mass of people watching me though, I’m very aware that when I watch videos on YouTube it’s just me and my computer, so I don’t make my videos for an audience, I make them for the one person who’s watching it. I also just make them for myself, doing my best to make videos that I would want to watch, and that I can be proud to share with the world and say “I did this!”

In what ways do you think that being a YouTube star is different from being a celebrity? Are there some things about it that are similar?

Some parts of it are similar, but I usually say that being well known on YouTube means that you get almost all of the best bits of being a real celebrity, without the downsides. I’m not constantly being hounded, or misquoted by the press, having every action be analysed or frowned upon, or having to put up with paparazzi sitting in the gutter so that they can grab a picture of what’s under my skirt when I get out of a limo. Why I’d be sitting in a limo wearing a skirt is beyond me, but I’m sure you get the idea… I get instant feedback from a lovely group of people who humble me daily, both on YouTube and in person. The only downside, I guess, is that there’s less money in what I do, but that’s not something which really bothers me. If I’m doing something I love and making enough to live comfortably, then that’s all I need.

When you first joined the internet did you have any idea that you would become such a hit?

Definitely not, and I also never expected that it would turn into my job, mainly because at the time I joined YouTube, nobody was making money from it. I always had a vague hope that I might be plucked from YouTube obscurity into, well, a slightly lesser form of YouTube obscurity, but never that it would turn into what it has. I’m not complacent about it, I know that the YouTube servers could go dead at any second, that my videos and audience could be lost, and that I’ll have to go and get a real job. In fact, I expect the YouTube thing will die down at some point, and I’m working on building skills which will keep me in work when that does happen, but for the moment I’m just trying to enjoy it while it’s here.

Are there any downsides to being a YouTube sensation?

Only relatively minor things, most of which are just me moasting (moaning and boasting) about small setbacks which aren’t that bad and, really, I get to do what I love for a job so I should just be quiet and get over it. I’ve had a bit of practice doing stuff for TV which has been fun, but in working for TV there are always compromises, which I’m not used to given that I have complete creative freedom on YouTube. There are those people who leave not-so-nice comments, those people who will go out of their way to befriend you when all they really want is a way to mooch off your audience, and other petty things that don’t really matter. When it comes down to it, I’m just really lucky, and do well to remember that the bad moments are outweighed heavily by the good ones.

Are there times when you regret having joined YouTube?

There is never a moment, nor has there ever been, when I have regretted joining and posting that first video onto YouTube. There have been moments where I’ve wondered what life would have been like if I’d given up after that first week of vlogging, sure, but never a regret. I’ve done so much as a result of YouTube, been handed so many opportunities, met so many great people, had so many great experiences, and just counted myself to be really fortunate. I wouldn’t trade a second of it for a chance at what some people might dub “real world success”, I love the internet, and that’s not going to chance any time soon.

In what ways has YouTube helped jumpstart you or your friends’ music careers?

If it wasn’t for YouTube then I wouldn’t have anything even resembling a music career, because I’m just not a traditional musical artist. Think you can find a record label in the real world that would want to deal with a couple of geeks who write songs about Doctor Who? It’s just not going to happen. Plus, I don’t really make music because I want to be a serious musician, I’m fine with people not taking me seriously because I don’t take myself seriously. I just like to write fun songs, and if people like those songs, that’s lovely. If people want to own those songs too, that’s especially lovely, there’s no better feeling than meeting people and signing CDs, it’s great, but I don’t want to force my music on anyone. If I’m proud of something then my priority is to share it with the world, not simply to profit from it in whatever way I can find.

Walk me through the typical process of how one of your videos is made.

First I have to come up with an idea, which comes about from either just trying to live the most interesting life that I can (so that it can inspire ideas, or so that I can use the interesting thing that I’m doing to make a video about) or I ask my Mum, who’s usually very good at coming up with ideas for videos. Then I’ll start to plan the video out in my head, but not usually writing it down unless I absolutely have to, so that what I have so say can be fresh when I say it. I get out my camera, film for about half an hour, and then edit it down into something under 4 minutes. Hopefully it’ll be watchable, and if it is, it’ll go up on the internet. If I focus, I can make a video, from conception of idea to it being online, in about a day.

How does your family feel about you being on the internet?

When my Mum first found out what I was up to, she was naturally a bit sceptical. After a while though, of her investigating what I was up to and concluding that “this is Charlie’s thing, so I’m going to support him” she was very much on my side. My whole family are very supportive of the whole endeavour, very happy and, of course, constantly bemused by everything that happens to me. Whenever someone approaches me in the street and asks for a hug, a photo or a badge, if a sibling for example is with me, they’ll suddenly have to be reminded of that thing that I do on the internet. It’s nice though, because to them I’m still just Charlie, the normal, still a bit shy probably, not that into parties or small talk really, plays videos a bit more than he should do Charlie, and that goes a good way towards keeping me grounded.

Do you think there is a certain type of audience you attract? If so, describe a typical fan.

People are people, everyone’s an individual, everyone that watches me is different, and they all probably watch me for slightly different reasons. My YouTube insight data says that my audience spreads all the way from 13 year olds to 65+, but that’s just YouTube data, I also get messages all the time from Mums saying that their 5 year old kid loves to watch me, so I have this great range of people that I can reach. At the same time, looking back at the YouTube data, there definitely is a stand out majority of teenage/young adult ladies who watch my stuff, which I am definitely very happy about. Girls are awesome, but the fact that they’re young girls is still really the only thing that they have in common with each other, or so I’ve learnt from meeting them at YouTube gatherings and gigs.

What have been some of your favourite moments since gaining YouTube fame?

I went to the BAFTAs (the UK equivalent of The Emmys) recently, which was an incredibly fun and surreal experience. I’ve had the opportunity to go to the US for various things as well which I always love: conferences, conventions, gatherings, and just to meet and hang out with friends that I’ve made online. If I had to pick a favourite moment, it would probably be sitting on stage at VidCon 2010, watching Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers and Ze Frank have a sword battle with cardboard tubes that they found lying around backstage. Which is undeniably one of the nerdiest favourite moments in the history of favourite moments, but still, it’s mine.

I what ways have you and your friends used your internet popularity to give back?

Last year I did a project called ChartJackers, which was an attempt to try and crowd-source a single for Children In Need, and get it into the charts. I took on the project with three of my friends, all of whom I met on YouTube: Alex (nerimon) Jimmy (Jimmy0010) and Johnny (JohnnyDurham19) and the project raised about £10,000 for charity, working it’s way up to #36 in the UK singles chart, and #1 in the UK Indie charts. Just this year I did a 24 live chat with my friend Myles (Blade376) in which the aim was to stay awake, live, for a full 24 hours, have people sponsor us to do it, and to take their challenge suggestions in return for donations. The target for the event was £10,000 which the community managed to completely smash, finishing off the show with £20,000 for Unicef.

How do you deal with the harsh criticism that can come from being an internet star? (i.e. trolls and negative comments)

Fortunately, I don’t tend to get as many negative comments on YouTube as some people do, because most of the people who watch me know me already, so most of the comments that I receive are positive. If someone has a genuine constructive criticism then I do my best to process it and take it on board if I think it’d be a good idea to, but most of the negative comments that you find on YouTube are a bunch of garbled rubbish. People find it very easy to hide behind the anonymity of usernames, to say whatever they want, aware of the fact that they won’t have to face up to any of the consequences. Also, people do seem to forget sometimes that what they say may actually be read by the person that’s made the video, so it’d be silly for me to take that kind of negativity to heart. It’s not directed completely at me after all, more at the video rather than the actual person who made it.

What do you think is the reason you are so successful as a YouTube star?

If I’m honest, I don’t really know. I like to think that it’s because people just become invested in my personality and are interested to see what I do next, but really, I try not to analyse it too much. After all, I’m not here to try and impress people, or to pander to anyone, or to try and find what people like the most and just stick to that. I just try to be myself and make stuff that I’m happy with.

Charlie also has a "proper" website: http://charliemcdonnell.com
A FaceBook page what: http://facebook.com/officialcharliemcdonnell
A Twitter do-dad: http://twitter.com/coollike
More about his Dr Who band  INORITE? http://dftba.com/chameleoncircuit
This one's a bit like twitter, but with pictures! Wowza: http://dailybooth.com/coollike

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